80% of Jigawa Nursing Mothers Do Not Practice Exclusive Breast Feeding

Umar Akilu Majeri

The Jigawa State Government has said that only 15.6 percent of nursing mothers in the state practice exclusive breastfeeding.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Salisu Muazu, confirmed this during a one-day media sensitization at the state ministry of health last week.

As part of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week celebration organized by the state’s Primary Health Care Development Agency and UNICEF, Muazu, who was represented by the executive secretary of the Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Kabiru Ibrahim, said “statistics have indicated that only 15.6 percent of Nursing mothers are exclusively breastfeeding their babies in the state”.

He said, ”The latest SMART survey of 2018 indicates that only 15.6 percent of Nursing mothers are exclusively breastfeeding their babies. So we are struggling with a large number of more than 80 percent of women who are not actually exclusively breastfeeding.”

Dr. Ibrahim maintained that “exclusive breastfeeding is religiously acceptable, financially feasible, and culturally wise.”

He urged parents to wake up and adopt the system for a better future for the state.

According to him, “more than half of anti-bodies are extracted through breastfeeding, adding that it attracts less or no infection of diseases.”

The executive secretary added that exclusive breastfeeding helps the mother to enjoy natural family spacing. At the same time, the economy of the father will improve as the baby will not suffer from infectious diseases.

While ensuring the government’s efforts to strengthen exclusive breastfeeding, the executive secretary also urged parents to support the move for a better society.

He then commended UNICEF for partnering with the Jigawa state government towards achieving exclusive breastfeeding for all 0-6 months of children in Jigawa state.